Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 116

Chapter 116

I kept staring at the tests. The word pregnant blinked on the digital screen like a neon sign refusing to die.

“Zoey?” Annie’s voice sounded distant, almost muffled “Breathe”

That’s when I realized I hadn’t been breathing. My lungs burned as I finally drew in air, sharp and uneven, like a series of sobs.

“LL”I tried to speak, but my throat had closed up completely.

“Sit down.” Annie guided me out of the bathroom, her hands firm on my shoulders as she led me to the bed. ” Zoey, you need to breathe. Slowly.”

My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears, drowning out everything else. The walls seemed to close in, the air thinning with every second. I pressed my hands to my chest, desperate to steady my breathing, but it only grew more ragged

“I can’t, I can’t breathe right,” I gasped.

“Yes, you can.” Annie sat in front of me, holding my wrists. “Look at me. Breathe with me. One, two, three… hold it… now let it out.”

I tried to follow her rhythm, but my mind was chaos. Pregnant. I was pregnant with Christian’s baby. Three months. Deep down, I’d already known. But now I couldn’t hide it from myself anymore.

“Zoey, talk to me. What’s going through your head?” Annie’s voice was calm, but I could hear the worry behind her steady tone.

“Everything’s wrong,” I finally managed, my words broken and shaky. “The timing, the situation, everything”

Why?” Annie tilted her head, still holding my hands. “You love Christian.”

“Now that the contract doesn’t matter anymore, now that we finally have a real chance…” My voice cracked as tears spilled hot and heavy down my cheeks. “And this happens. He’s going to think I’m manipulating him.”

Annie frowned. “Manipulating?”

“Like I’m trying to trap him.” I wiped my nose with the back of my hand, trying to breathe between sobs. “”Oh, how convenient, Zoey. The contract’s gone, and now you show up pregnant.”

“Zoey, that’s ridiculous…”

“Is it?” I cut her off, jumping to my feet and pacing across the room. “He told me he loves me, and I couldn’t even say it back. And now this? A baby? It’s going to look like I’m using it as emotional leverage.”

Annie watched me pace, her eyes following me like she was tracking a tennis match.

“You’re being paranoid.”

“I’m being realistic!” I stopped in front of her, throwing my hands up. “Christian’s a billionaire CEO, Annie. He strategizes everything He’ll dissect every angle of this situation”

“He’s also the man who takes you walking through vineyards, who named a vineyard after you,” she said softly.

“The man who looks at you like you’re the only person in the world.”

“That was before!” My voice came out sharp, almost breaking. “Before he realized the contract didn’t mean anything. Before he figured out he could have any woman he wants, without the mess.”

“Zoey…”

“And there’s more,” I went on, ignoring her. “Three months, Annie. Three months! That means I got pregnant on the honeymoon. He’ll think I planned it from the start.”

“That’s insane.”

“It’s the truth!” I dropped onto the edge of the bed, burying my face in my hands. “Isabelle already hates me. She’ll use this as proof that I’m a gold digger. And Joseph… oh God, Joseph.”

“What?”

“I think Christian’s going to freak out for about five minutes, then be in shock for another five. And after that, he’s going to be over the moon.” She leaned back just enough to look me in the eye. “Because he’ll realize he’s going to have a baby that’s a perfect mix of you two. A child with your kindness and determination, and his intelligence and passion.”

Her words caught me off guard, painting a picture I hadn’t dared to imagine. A baby who’d be part me, part him. Maybe with his intense eyes, or my smile. A child who’d grow up hearing stories about vineyards and learning family traditions.

“And if you’re right about how he feels about you,” Annie went on, “then he’ll understand this wasn’t planned. It was just… fate, or the universe, or whatever you want to call it, telling you two that you’re where you’re meant to be.”

For a moment, I let myself picture it. Christian hearing the news, his face lighting up. His hand resting on my stomach, eyes glowing with that same fire I’d seen when he talked about the organic vineyard project. Whispering promises to our baby. Dreaming of the future we’d build together.

“You really think so…?”

“I think you need to give him a chance.” Annie squeezed my hand. “You need to trust the man you fell in love with, not the CEO you met in the beginning.”

I took a deep breath, and something inside me shifted. Hope began to push the panic aside.

“I’m going to tell him.”

The words came out suddenly, almost startling me. But as soon as I said them, I knew they were true. No matter how terrified I was, Christian deserved to know. And our baby deserved a father who was there from the start,

for better or worse.

“When?” Annie asked, her brows lifting in surprise at my sudden change of heart.

I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Nine a.m. Christian was probably already getting ready for another day of dealing with the family business.

“Today.”